Galantys Game Plan

Fasting is not some new age hype that all the skinny people talk about.  It is an often ignored, age old custom that is our oldest health remedy.  Fasting is simply taking a break from food…as simple as it is, it can be quite therapeutic.  It takes a lot of energy to digest food.  Those internal organs are hard at work after we ingest a meal.  When we stop taking in food, our digestive system gets a chance to take a rest and our bodies will automatically heal themselves by eliminating toxins and balancing the body’s chemistry.  Health is restored through cleansing.

Years of a diet filled with artificial flavors and dyes, preservatives, pesticides and rancid oils (not to mention the air and water pollution we are exposed to)  takes its toll.  Our systems Read the rest of this entry →

Swiss chard is a very versatile, mild tasting, leafy green vegetable that is loaded with vitamins A and C. For those of us who are aspiring gardeners, it is quite easy to grow (even I managed not to kill it) and it lasts throughout the summer and into the fall depending on where you live. The soft, shiny green leaves are great in sautés, soups, salads, juices or smoothies and the stems can be used in soups or put through your juicer or in your compost pile (or in our case, fed to the guinea pig). There is a red variety of chard that can be used interchangeably with the green. It just leaves a red tint behind so you might want to avoid it in juices and smoothies, but the flavor is about the same.

Occasionally, I substitute swiss chard for spinach in some of my green smoothies just to mix it up a bit. You won’t taste the Read the rest of this entry →

The dreaded morning question…what am I going to put in the kids lunch boxes today?  It has to not only be nutritious and satiating, but it has to be able to withstand the beating it gets en route to school in the backpacks of some fairly rambunctious children.  I stare into the depths of the monster size refrigerator and pantry, both full to the brim with food and think, there’s nothing to eat, despite the fact that a third world nation could live for months on what I have within the confines of those cupboard doors.

Like everything else in my life lately, I am learning to simplify the process of lunch box packing.  I’m sticking mainly to raw fruits and vegetables because they are easy to pack, nutritious and the kids like them.  I round it out with a variety of leftovers such as soup in a thermos, a wrap, sushi, tuna fish on crackers or Read the rest of this entry →

The anticipation is mounting. A mere four weeks to go until my first box from my local CSA! Not only does this mean summer is right around the corner, but it marks the end of having to buy produce shipped from across the country that is usually half dead and tasteless by the time it arrives at the supermarket.

A CSA is a community supported agriculture program. Small, independent, organic farms that supply their community with an array of fresh, locally grown, organic produce each week throughout the growing season. In New York, they typically run May through November. CSAs have been around for awhile, but have gained in popularity in recent years as more and more people have discovered the benefits of eating local, organic produce. Read the rest of this entry →

Eating kale raw preserves the live enzymes in the vegetable as well as all of the vitamins and minerals, but there are times when you may be craving the warmth of a cooked dish (or you just don’t feel like chewing as much). These are both excellent choices for this versatile vegetable. Read the rest of this entry →

If you want to improve your health, the first place to start is to increase your intake of green vegetables.  They are without a doubt the primary food group lacking in most people’s diets (okay I know that technically green vegetables are not classified as a food group of their own, but they really should be…they are that important).  When I say this to people, invariably they tell me they eat lots of green vegetables already, but I suspect this is not really the case.  Eating a salad with dinner and a side of broccoli, although a good start, is not nearly enough.

Why are green vegetables so vital to our health?  They nourish and strengthen our blood and immune system.  They prevent cancer, boost your energy level, and they are loaded with fiber, Read the rest of this entry →

So exactly what is all the hype about raw foods?  Is this just some fashionable new age mumbo jumbo that sounds impressive when chatting up your hot yoga teacher or is there something more to it?  Most of the general population wonders why anyone in their right mind would want to follow such a regime…it sounds like a life based on restriction and deprivation.  Images of people walking around starving half to death munching on raw carrots all day are what jump to mind.

So I’m going to attempt to set the record straight, from my first hand experience with being high raw (eating raw foods about 80% of the time).  A raw foods diet consists of eating living foods only.  This includes uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains. No food that has been cooked over 112 degrees. Many raw foodists are also vegans meaning they do not consume any animal products whatsoever, but non-vegans can include raw fish, meat and dairy products. 

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